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Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte, North Carolina

Left to right: Mary Chute, Acting Director, Institute of Museum and Library Services; Emily Zimmern, Executive Director, Levine Museum of the New South; Doctoral student and museum researcher Brenda Tindal; First Lady Laura Bush. Photo by Steven E. Purcell. Click image for a larger version.

The Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte, North Carolina is not afraid to tackle challenging social issues in order to build a better community. In 2004 the museum embarked on an extraordinary project that enabled the citizens of Charlotte to examine issues of equality, race, and inclusion in the context of the history of school desegregation. The project left a deep impression on the residents of Charlotte and earned the museum a place among the 2005 recipients of the National Award for Museum Service.

Charlotte native and doctoral student Brenda Tindal, who was so inspired by the research she conducted for the museum’s desegregation exhibit to develop her own exhibit, will accept the award alongside Levine Museum of the New South Executive Director Emily Zimmern and Board Chair Cammie Hauptfuhrer.

Biographies of Participants

Brenda Tindal, Doctoral Student of African American History
Brenda Tindal’s greatest mentor is Dr. Tom Hanchett, historian for the Levine Museum of the New South and curator of the 2004 exhibit Courage: The Carolina Story that Changed America. As his research assistant she experienced his honest and indiscriminating approach to historical research and his passionate dedication to the story being told in the exhibit (the process of ending legal segregation of the races in the Carolinas that eventually led to Brown vs. Board of Education). As he courageously faced many sensitive issues during the creation of the exhibit, he taught her that no matter how tough the truth is, it is an historian’s duty to tell it.

Brenda Tindal is now a Ph.D. Candidate of the American Studies program at Emory University focusing on the history African American women of the black liberation movement. The Charlotte native’s work experiences at the museum, which include a period as the Group Sales Coordinator, have been inspiration for her college studies. As an undergraduate she created a small scale exhibit on central role women played in the Black Panther Party and presented the display at the 89th Annual Association for the Study of African History and Life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As Ms. Tindal manages a full coarse load together with a busy a full time job (she is the House Director of Chi Phi, the 36-member men’s fraternity at Emory).

Emily Zimmern, Executive Director
Emily Zimmern has served as executive director of the Levine Museum of the New South since March 1995. A native of Louisiana, she earned her B.A. and M.A. in American history from Vanderbilt University, and an M.B.A. from Queens College. She has held numerous leadership positions in local and national nonprofit organizations including United Jewish Appeal, Charlotte Jewish Federation, Foundation for the Carolinas, Crisis Assistance Ministry, and Planned Parenthood. Emily currently serves on the Mayor’s International Cabinet and the Leadership Team of the Community Building Initiative. Honors include Charlotte Woman of the Year 2002 and a Charlotte Business Journal Woman in Business Achievement Award for 2003. In 1999 and 2000, she attended the Summer Museum Management Program at the University of Colorado and in 2001 she completed the Harvard Business School’s executive education course “Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management.” She and husband Sam have lived in Charlotte since 1982 and have two children, Bill, an attorney, and Amelia, a publicist, both of whom are now working in New York.

Cammie Hauptfuhrer, Board Chair
Cammie Hauptfuhrer was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. She attended Duke University and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1978. In 1982, Cammie graduated from the University of Virginia Law School and became a law clerk for Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., United States Supreme Court. Cammie also worked as an attorney at Davis, Polk & Wardwell, New York, NY, and for Legal Aid Society of New York, Criminal Appeals Division. She returned to Charlotte in 1987, where she worked as an attorney for Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, PA, for 9 years. Cammie has been an active leader in the Charlotte community, serving on the Board of Directors for organizations such as Science Museums of Charlotte, Charlotte Country Day School, Presbyterian Hospital, and United Way of the Central Carolinas. Cammie is married to W. Barnes Hauptfuhrer and has 2 children, son Barnes (age 19) and daughter Dillon (age 17).